Science and Enterprise

Tag: biofuels

  • U.S. Patent Awarded for Isobutanol Production Process

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted Gevo Inc. in Englewood, Colorado, a maker of biofuels from renewable feedstocks, a patent for its process of producing isobutanol with reduced accumulation of by-products. Patent no. 8,133,715, “Reduced By-Product Accumulation for Improved Production of Isobutanol,” was awarded today to 12 inventors and assigned to Gevo. Isobutanol…

  • Grant to Fund R&D on Oil-Producing Plants for Biofuels

    A research team at University of Illinois, with other academic and national lab colleagues, has received a $3.2 million grant to study bioengineering sugar cane and sorghum to produce oil for biofuels. The Department of Energy funding for this project also supports researchers at University of Florida, University of Nebraska, and the Brookhaven National Laboratory,…

  • ARPA-E to Fund $44M for Natural Gas, Algae Biofuels R&D

    The Energy Department’s Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA-E) will devote $44 million to fund new research in natural gas for transportation and biofuels from algae. The new programs were announced by President Obama yesterday in a speech at University of Miami in Florida. Some $30 million of the ARPA-E funds will support research on innovations…

  • ARPA-E Grant Funding Plant Hydrocarbon Feedstock Research

    The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E, part of the U.S. Department of Energy) has awarded a $1.8 million grant to Texas AgriLife Research in College Station to study the potential of tobacco as a direct source of fuel. The grant can also provide Texas AgriLife plant pathologist Joshua Yuan (pictured left) with another…

  • University Genome Research Helping Biofuel Developer

    Researchers at University of Georgia in Athens have mapped the genomes of two originator cells of the large perennial grass miscanthus that can help develop this grass as a source of ethanol and bioenergy. A California biofuel feedstock developer is partnering with the university on this project. Miscanthus is a promising candidate for biomass farming,…

  • Biofuels Developer Secures $17M Investment Round

    SG Biofuels Inc., a bioenergy crop company in San Diego, has completed a $17 million financing round to expand its R&D and commercialization programs. The series B funding — the second round of financing after start-up — was lead by life sciences venture capital company Thomas, McNerney & Partners, with participation from Finistere Ventures and…

  • Cleantech Investment Volume Up, Deal Numbers Down in 2011

    Global investment dollars in clean technologies increased in 2011 from the previous year, but the number investment deals declined somewhat, according to the industry research company CleanTech Group in San Francisco. Clean technologies, as defined by Cleantech Group, include renewable energy sources such as wind and solar, as well as energy efficiency, pollution control, infrastructure…

  • Cellulosic Biomass Sugars Developer Gains BASF Backing

    Renmatix Inc., a developer of biofuel sugars from cellulosic feedstocks in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, has secured a $50 million investment round led by German chemical manufacturer BASF. The BASF subsidiary, BASF Biorenewable Beteiligungs GmbH, contributed $30 million to the investment round, joined by new and existing investors. Renmatix has devised a technology platform called…

  • Biofuels Start-Up Adds BP as Investor

    Cool Planet BioFuels in Camarillo, California says BP Technology Ventures has made an investment in the company’s C round — the third series of equity investments after start up. The amount of the investment by BP’s venture capital division was not disclosed. Current investors in Cool Planet Biofuels also include General Electric, Google Ventures, ConocoPhillips,…

  • OriginOil, National Lab to Collaborate on Biomass Standards

    OriginOil Inc. an algae fuel developer in Los Angeles, signed a research agreement with the Idaho National Lab, part of the U.S. Department of Energy, to establish industry standards for algal biomass. Standards for fuels from biomass are considered a an important step in making algal biofuels a competitive alternative to petroleum. The company says…